Haakon VII of Norway

Haakon VII of Norway (3 August 1872-21 September 1957) was King of Norway from 18 November 1905 to 21 September 1957, succeeding Oscar II and preceding Olav V.

Biography
Born Prince Carl of Denmark, Haakon was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on 3 August 1872, the son of King Frederick VIII of Denmark and Louise of Sweden. He was elected by the Norwegian Storting to the throne in 1905, when Norway and Sweden separated. He tried to coordinate a policy of neutrality for Norway, Denmark, and Sweden during the two World Wars. When the Germans did invade in 1940, he met them at the head of the Norwegian troops. Rather than accept Vidkun Quisling's Nazi government, he escaped to London as the constitutional head of the government-in-exile, and encouraged his countrymen to resist the occupying forces. He returned to Norway in 1945. Known for his simple, modest lifestyle, and admired for his integrity, the "People's King" was an important symbol of unity and statehood in the first half of the twentieth century.